Journal-bearing.



Patented June 5, I900.

I. METZGER.

JOURNAL BEARING.

(Apylication filed Mar. 16, 1899.)

' (No Model.)

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THE NORRIS PETiRS ca. PHOTO-LIYNOH WASHINGTON, n. g.

STATES PATENT QFFICE;

ISBON METZGER, or -WAPELLO, IOWA.

JOURNAL-BEARING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters IPatent No. 650,852, dated June 5, 1900.

Application tiled March 16,1899. v

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, IsBoN METZGER, a Gitizen of the United States, residing at Wapello, in the county of Louisa and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in J ournal-Bearings, of which the fol-.

lowing is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to that class of journal-bearings comprisingabox in which a supply of oil for lubricating the journal is contained, usually in the bottom thereof, and fed upwardly over the journal by a part of the latter dipping into the oil. It also has refererence to that class of journal-bearings in which the bushing is movable with the transverse or vibratory movement 'of the shaft or journal, so that the shaft at all times has an accurate and uniform bearing on the bushing notwithstanding any side motion due to the movement of the shaft with relation to the box proper.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide'an improved form of journal-bearing in which a large supply of oil may be contained and automatically fed upwardly over the j ournal by a part on the latter, which will also constitute an end-thrust bearingfor holding the journal against undue longitudinal movement. 7

Another object of myinvention is to pro vide for the free oscillation of the journal in any direction independently of the box proper.

A further object is to provide improved means for preventing the centrifugal action ofthe journal from forcing the oil out of the box.

A still further object of my invention is to provide means for receiving the surplus oil and preventing it from running out of the box when the box is tipped on an'incline either from side to side or from front to rear, whereby leakage will be prevented when the box isused on portable machinery in passing along hillsides or up grades.

With these ends in view myinvention consists in certain features of novelty in the construction,.combinatiomand arrangement of parts by which the said objects and certain other objectshereinaft'er appe ring are attained, all as fully described with reference Serial No. 709,242. on model.)

to the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a plan'- view of my improved journal-bearing with the top of thebox removed. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section thereof, taken on the line sectional view of the lower half of the box, taken on the line 2 2, Fig. 1, showing the box tilted endwise and illustrating how the surplus oil is received by the end chambers,- hereinafter described. 7

In illustrating my invention I have shown it applied to an ordinary shaft; but it will nevertheless be understood that it is equally appropriate for the journals of car-axles and in other places where the journal does not pass entirely through the box, as in the accompanying illustration.

1 represents the journal or shaft, upon which is secured or formed in any suitable Way a ball or spheroidal portion 2, through the center of which the journal passes, so as to form on the journal a spheroidal lump. The journal 1 and this spheroidal portion 2 are seated or journaled in a cradle consisting of two members 3 4, which also constitute a bushing for the journal. These members 3 4 are divided from each other on a horizontal line, as clearly shown in Fig.2, and they accurately fit around the journal 1 and the spheroidal portion 2, so as to form a perfectv bearing therefor, and the exteriors ofthe members 3 4 are also provided, respectively, with semispheroidal portionsG 7, which when placed together in the manner shown in Fig. 2 constitute a complete circle in cross-section. The spheroidal portion 7 on the bot tom of the cradle is seated upon a pair of abutments or pedestals 8, whose upper faces are curved in both directions to be complementary in shape to the convexed surface of the portion 7, so that the cradle composed of members 3 4 mayoscillate on both vertical and longitudinal axes. The abutments or Fig. 4 is a transverse section of- Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken onthe line 5 5, Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 is a longitudinal pedestals 8 are formed in the bottom of the lower section 9 of the journal-box and are made in two sections in preference to a single abutment, so as to leave a clear space 8 between them and free passage for the oil to an oil-duct 10, formed through the spheroidal portion 7 at a point between the abutments 8. The oil contained in the lower half of the box 9 has a higher level than the lower side of the spheroidal portion 2, which consequently dips into the oil and carries it upward,whence it runs down the sides of the spheroidal portion 2 and deposits itself upon the upper surface of the journal 1 and gradually works its way along to the full length of the journal, thus at all times providing for an even and profuse distribution of the oil on the wearing parts.

The upper half 11 of the journal-box is provided in its crown with a semicircular cavity 12, which is complementary in shape to both the cross and longitudinal sectionsof the upper spheroidal portion 6 of the cradle, so that the entire cradle, together with the shaft or journal, may rock on its transverse and vertical axes, as described, and it will at the same time be firmly held against longitudinal movement and will thereby hold the shaft againstlongitudinal movement and provide an ellicient end-thrust bearing for the spheroidal enlargement 2 in both directions.

In order that the cradle 3 4: may not revolve with the shaft and the oil-duct 10 be compelled to maintain its proper relation to the abutments S, the crown of the box-section 11 may be provided with a depending pin or lug 13, engaging in an enlarged cavity 14 in the top of the portion 6, sufficient play being provided for permitting of the oscillations of the cradle.

The sections 3 4 of the cradle may be fitted together by means of pins 3 and correspondin g sockets.

At each end of the journal 1 is arranged a pair of peripheral flanges 15 16. The inner flange 15 has an abrupt side or wall turned toward the interior of the box, while its outer side is more or less inclined toward the shaft. The purpose of this flange is to arrest the creeping of the oil along the shaft. iVhen the oil reaches it, the centrifugal force throws it against a surface 17 at the top of the box, and from here the oil must either run backwardly and drop off at the lower end of a flange 18 or else run outwardly and thence downwardly along the knife-edge of a cu rtainlike flange 19, guarding the entrance to the box and depending below the periphery of the flange 16. As the oil runs down the knifeedge of the flange 20 it finally comes in contact with a downwardly-inclined surface 21, formed at the inner side of the mouth of the opening on the lower section of the box, and from there it leaks back into the oil-reservoir. The flanges 15and 16 are substantially duplicates of each other, and two are provided instead of one in order to double the safeguard.

In order that the surplus oil in the well formed in the lower half of the box may not escape through the ends of the box where the shaft 1 emerges when the box is tilted endwise, as shown in Fig. (3, I provide each end of the box with two oil-receiving chambers 22 28, one located on each side of the shaft or journal and interposed between the journal at each end, and each of these chambers is a wall or dam 24 25, which constitutes a passage through which the journal passes, the bottom of the passage being above the bottom of the chambers 22 23, which is indicated by the dotted line 26 in Figs. 2 and (5. Thus it will be seen that when the journal is tipped, as in Fig. 6, the overplus of oil in the well will be received into the chambers 22 23 before it can rise high enough to pass out between the walls 2t It is of course possible to tip the box high enough to cause some of the oil to escape between the walls 21 25, but an inclination to such an extreme degree seldom occurs.

In order that there may be a receivingchamber for the overplus of oil to prevent the same from escaping through the end openings of the box when the box is tilted from side to side, I widen the box 011 each side back of the pedestals 8, so as to form receiving-chambers 27 28, the bottoms of which are normally above the oil-level in the well.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to seeureby Letters Patent, is-

1. In a journal-bearing the combination of a journal-box having an oil well or chamber therein, a concave abutment formed in said well in the bottom of said box, the upper side of said box over said abutment being formed with a concavity having its curvature opposed to the concavity of said abutment, a journalcradle having a spheroidal exterior seated on said abutment and engaging in the cavity in the top of said box, a journal and a spherical enlargement on said journal around which said cradle fits, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a journal having an enlargement thereon, a journal-box having an oil-reservoir and being provided with an abutment in the bottom thereof and a bushing for said journal having a complementary enlargement surrounding the said enlargement on the journal and being seated on said abutment, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a journal having an enlargement thereon, a journal-box having an oil-reservoir below the level of which said onlargement dips, a portion surrounding the lower side of said enlargement and journal and being provided with an oil-duct leading upwardly therethrough from said oil-reservoir and two abutments supporting said portion on both sides of said oil-duct, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of a journal, a bushing surrounding said journal and a journal-box containing a pair of abutnients supporting said bushing, said bushing being provided with an oil-duct leading upwardly therethrough, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of a journal having a conical oil-arresting flange thereon, a j ournalboX having the curved surface 17 located over said oil-arresting flange, the knife-edge 19 arranged on the outer side of said oil-ar-v resting flange at the opening in the box, and the inwardly inc-lined surface 21 formed around the lower side of the opening'on the inner side of the box and being in line with said knife-edge 19 for receiving the oil from the latter, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with a journal, of a journal-box having an oil-well into which a part of said journal dips, and oil-receiving chambers whose bottoms are at a higher level than said oil-well, adapted to receive the oil overflowing from the Well when the box tips, substantially as set t'orth.

7. The combination with a journal of a box having an oil-well into which a partof the journal dips, said box being provided with a walled passage for the journal and at the side of said passage with a receiving-chamber having its bottom below the bottom of said passage and above the oil-Well for receiving the overflow from the well when the box tips, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination with a journal of a box having an oil-Well into which said journal dips and a walled passage leading to said oilwell for containing said journal, the edges of said box around said well being extended horizontally at a level below the bottom of said walled passage where the latter conjoins with the well but above the bottom of the oilwell, for constituting receiving-chambers for oontaining the surplus oil that overflows from the well when the box is tipped, substantially as set forth.

ISBON METZGER.

Witnesses:

MARIE E. OTTo, L. A. REILEY. 

